Why I need a Personal Assistant

I don't really expect anyone to even read this, but I write just to maintain a grip on what I pretend is sanity. I decided today that what I need, like Carina's idea for a p.t. (she knows what I mean) is really a personal assistant. In fact, in all those BBC things I watch, they call them p.a.s, so it's perfect, really. Or a wife. Maybe what I need is a wife to take care of things for me. No, maybe it isn't a wife that I need. I don't need someone to cook and clean--I'm happy doing those things myself. But I need a p.a. to run photocopies, make and confirm appointments, attend meetings where he or she would take brief notes so I could skip out on the meetings. All I want is to be able to devote myself to my teaching and my research and my writing, and instead, I spend all my time putting paper in the photocopy machine and making cups of tea. Who knew that with my Ph.D. I'd end up spending so much time running photocopies, which inevitably leads to fighting with the photocopy machine, answering e-mails, and attending meetings. When I was very young, my aspiration was to be a secretary (although now we call them administrative assistants). Ironically, I went to graduate school only to become my own secretary! Oh, this is all just a silly rant, I know. But as my semester begins, I'm frustrated with the amount of time is taken away from activities that contribute to my teaching in a meaningful way. And all this could be solved by having a p.a.